Coldwater Sunflowers
by AllenWalker4ever
Summary: 1950's AU. After Lisa's death, Dean and Ben move in with Sam and Jess, who live in Coldwater, Kansas. It doesn't take long before Dean figures out that the church is haunted, the priest is a hippie, crop circles are everywhere, and there are evil woods out back. And Dean is alone in the world, wondering if he really isn't sane after all. DESTIEL/SABRIEL


**Well, I've never really wrote for Supernatural before, but I'm not really a newbie to fanfiction. I'm just not very popular and none of my stories get reviews... like ever. Or something like that. Aw well, I shouldn't be complaining that 52 reviews is the highest number of reviews, since I write really odd things.**

**So, some warnings. I know you guys love lemons, but I don't write it. This is labelled mature because people die violently and I will describe their brains in high detail as the highway police scrap it off the road. *hypothetically.* So if you're here for sex, go back wherever you came from, because I don't write it. I will write otherwise controversial and perhaps boring things, but no sex. Sorry. I'm no good at it anyways, so no worries.**

**I know I really should be writing something for Power or Curse, but I have 6 pages of the next chapter and this struck me like a lighting bolt and I just couldn't ignore the plot bunnies. I'm sorry~!**

**So enjoy, and here's Coldwater Sunflowers.**

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Ben mumbled from the dusty backseat of Dean's little car. Dean wanted to look back and ruffle his hair, tell him everything was gonna be okay, but Dean didn't know that. They were driving out to Kansas, to live with his brother and his brother's wife, and Dean didn't know if things would be okay.

"We're almost there. We'll get to see Uncle Sammy." Dean promised, eyes on the dusty road ahead of him. The scenery rolled by, all sienna hills and the occasional green shrub or something. Very dusty, very boring. He'd wanted to make this an adventure, but how could Dean do that to this kid? This was no adventure, this was some giant piece of shit they called life.

Ever since Lisa died, Ben was all his to take care of, and Dean didn't think he could do that. He might've raised his brother on his own, with little to no help from his Dad, but this wasn't the same. He didn't have a choice that time, he wasn't old enough to see how screwed up he was. Or how he'd teach all that screwed up to Sam. No, Dean knew better now, and he wasn't doing that to another kid.

Ben would get a good life if Dean had anything to say about it, and Ben was getting raised right. By a sweet good mom, and smart tough dad with all the right morals. He might be ten, and he might realize that they aren't ever going to be his parents, but Sam and Jess were the best things Dean could give to Ben.

"I miss Mom." Ben whispered.

"I do too, kid."

Lisa had died violently. She'd been found raped, with her insides hanging out and her hair shoved so far down her throat she must've choked. Dean hadn't found her, but he'd had to identify the body. Ben had seen her after she died too, but unlike Dean, he only got a glimpse. It had been a closed coffin funeral back in her- their home town in Wisconsin.

Dean didn't miss Lisa much, after seeing her body. He never wanted to remember her and all the pain she encompassed. In fact, he never wanted to speak of her again. It just hurt too much. He could barely breathe when he remembered how he'd kissed her before leaving to go to work in the auto shop, how the night before she'd told him that they should try for a baby, that she wanted to have a family with him and stay together forever.

If Dean started to think about her that way, he'd choke on his breath and kneel over in so much pain that he couldn't even move. And if Dean felt that way, he only wished that Ben felt better about the whole thing.

"Is Jess like Mom?"

Dean was caught off guard by that question. He thought back to the few memories of Jess he had. She was cute, smiled often, blonde and busty with a ditsy demeanor that hid her big heart and her motherly instincts. No, she wasn't like Lisa. She was younger and sweeter and less worn down by life.

"Uncle Sammy says she bakes a great pie. I think that's pretty cool, huh?" Dean deflected the question. He saw Ben's eyes in the back mirror, and he decided that it really wasn't good enough. Ben deserved better.

Swallowing, Dean admitted, "Ben, your mom's the greatest woman I've ever met and I loved her a bunch. Jess won't be your mom, that's just impossible. She's a good little lady and she'll love you. I'm not trying to have her replace your mom, I just think that we all need a bit more love right now and that when I can't, she'll be able to give you that."

"I'm sorry… Dean." Ben sniffled. He rubbed at his eyes helplessly. "I don't know what to do. I know that you married Mom, and that she loved you, but you aren't my dad, Sam isn't my uncle, and Jess isn't my aunt. I've only know you for two years. You're not my dad."

"I know." Dean looked at the road sternly. "I know, kid."

The rest of the drive was silent and awkward as Dean tried not to look at Ben and Ben just stared out the window desperately. Lisa had been what had tied them together, and now she was gone. They were both stranded in unfamiliar waters.

* * *

When Dean finally pulls into the dust and dirt thing his brother Sam called a driveway, all he can do is stare at the house that he has never been to before. It's old, with the whole two story, dusty piece of farmhouse shit going on for exterior décor, and the wrap-around porch isn't convincing Dean otherwise. The house is old, and Dean can feel it.

Dean kind of likes how dirty and thick the air is around here, as it settles into his throat and it all smells of desert and cattle. The place feels like home. Old, dying, and yet somehow home.

The farm is out back, and Dean can see the stables with the horses that are Sam's pride and joy. There's a broken down tractor in the front of the house, and a wagon poking out from behind the house. The pigs were in a pen in the back, and the chicken house was small and cute. There were only three cows out back, but it was more than Dean expected. Sam had went to college and got a degree in Agriculture when the lawyer thing didn't work out. Dean is really proud of the kid.

This place is great.

There's a wood out to the east, full of trees that look out of place in the wide open plains. If one could call it a wood, that is. It's thick, and it seems to sprawl on forever out back. One could clearly see where Sam's farm ended, and where nature took over.

There was an apple tree grove out east as well, and it blends in with the wild trees just on the outside of it. Dean bets that Jess makes an amazing apple pie. There's a truck parked next to Dean's little city car, which is some Ford pick up that is way too nice for the farm work that Sam probably uses it for.

And then there's the farmhouse in the center, with the warm covered wooden porch with the swing and a screen door that lets the smell of cinnamon float out into the desert air. The place is better than Dean had imagined.

In fact, it was perfect. Dean would've loved to grow up here in Coldwater, Kansas. Ben would be able to get out in the sun and run around safely, and he'd even had a woman in his life that could give him kisses and talk to him about his feelings. Things that Lisa had done, and that Dean would never dream of doing.

Dean climbed out of the front seat, slamming the door behind him. Dust collects on his boots as he opens the passenger seat door and shakes Ben's shoulder. The kid's asleep. He doesn't want to wake him up, so Dean just scoops up the ten year old and takes him up the steps to the front door.

He knocks on the wood next to the screen door with his free hand. There's a blurry form of a woman inside, which he knows is Jess just by the lemon colored hair and the overalls. He lets himself feel a bit more pride; his little brother picked a damn fine lady.

"Dean!" She called as she noticed him. "Benny!"

Jess unlocks the door and lets them both inside, the coolness of the house an honest relief. It feels like air, cold and refreshing, and Dean likes it already. This is a place that's toasty in the winter, and cold in the summer. And on a late August afternoon like this, it was an astonishing feeling.

Dean puts Ben down on a couch, the closest one to the door. The living room is the first place one walked into, with two couches surrounding a new TV that had a reasonably large screen. Dean stared at the black and white figures moving about and he snorted. It was one of those silly cowboy shows that he'd always wanted to catch a glimpse of when Lisa wasn't watching.

"Nice place you've got here." Dean remarked, leaving the living room and heading into the kitchen, which was small but homey, where Jess was putting something into the oven that looked oddly like apple pie.

Jess laughed. Her voice had a rich country accent and Dean liked listening to it. "I love it, but I get a feeling that Sam ain't too satisfied with it… He keeps leaving to go into town. He's such a city boy."

Dean doesn't recall Sam ever being a city boy. But it's been years since he's seen either of them, and maybe his brother has changed somehow. His brother had wanted to be a lawyer… it wasn't too alarming, but Dean felt a little out of place about how little he really knew of his brother and his brother's wife.

"He's a pussy, that one. Don't worry 'bout him. He tells me how much he loves ya and the place all the time." Dean said, honest. Every phone call Sam had dialed him had been about how sweet Jess was, or how lovely the house and the farm were.

"And don't I know it!" Jess laughed. "I made some pie for Benny. How's he doing? His mom was such a tragedy. He must be all torn up."

Yes, Dean thought, Lisa was a tragedy. And both of them were all torn up. He swallowed it down. He wasn't letting himself remember any of it.

"Real sad, but that's why I had to get him outta there. That house, his mom, it was all real bad for the both of us." Dean hesitated. "I know it's too much to ask, but if ya can give him some of that motherly love you like to bestow on Sam an' me, it'd be good for him."

Jess frowned. "You didn't have'ta ask. I'd've done it anyway."

Dean grinned at her. "Thanks, you're a doll. Sam better be treating you right."

"'Course he is! Couldn't ask for a better man."

Of course not. Sam was always a better man than most, saving innocent kids who got picked on at school, getting the best grades, working extra hard. He was what Dean wanted Ben to be like. And Dean saw all of Sam's bad traits, and just knew that they were ones that Sam had learned from him, and knew that Sam would be better for Ben that Dean could be.

The backdoor slammed, and Sam walked in with sweat on his forehead and dirt smudged on his cheek. Jess groaned as he tracked mud inside with him. He blew her a kiss, before getting a good glimpse of his brother.

"Dean!"

"Hiya, Sammy." Dean grinned, giving his brother a bear hug. He didn't mind the grass and the mess getting on his good cotton shirt. It was his brother, and he couldn't be happier that he was seeing him again.

"Enough, you two. Sam, honey, out on the porch with you and your man stench- unless you intend to shower in the next ten seconds. I'm baking pie in here!" Jess fussed, interrupting the two men in her kitchen.

"It's great to see you, man. But Jess is right. I need to get decent. I have all sorts of dung in my boots." Sam stood back, holding his brother at arm's length. Dean looked between the two of them. Sam was wearing flannel, with blue jeans and a belt. Dean was wearing trousers and a cotton button down shirt. What had happened to the two of them?

Dean was the one who loved flannel shirts and jeans and dirt. Sam was the one who loved the books and staying inside with his clean clothes and his neat hair. What had happened to the two of them…?

Dean let his brother walk out of the kitchen, off down the hall into what looked like a bedroom, and he heard a shower turn on. Jess had returned to checking on her pie, which Dean could definitely smell as apple.

"He's tall." Dean remarked.

"Ain't he just handsome? He had to grow into a lot of it, I know you haven't seen him since he was a teenager, but you could tell he'd spring up. It was just too awkward to stop growing there." Jess giggled.

Dean supposed she was right. He didn't expect his brother to turn into a moose, though. Not that much of a moose. Dean was 6 foot. And Sam towered over him with a good few inches. He must've been 6'5" or something insane.

Dean stared back at Jess. Shit, she was small compared to him. She was tiny. In fact, he could imagine them banging, and it wasn't a pretty sight. How'd Sam not break her? Lisa had been plenty taller and Dean'd been scared of how delicate she was. He'd always held himself back and went gentle. Maybe Jess was made of tougher stuff. Maybe they just fucked real slow like.

"Dean?" Ben called from the living room. He turned around at the sound of the kid's voice, staring into the wide eyes of the ten year old.

"Yeah, Ben. You fell asleep. We're here now, why don't you come and meet Jess?" Dean motioned to the kitchen, and the woman who was currently staring down into the oven. Ben managed a shaky smile. The kid walked over, and Dean ruffled his hair. "What do you think of the place?" Dean found himself asking.

"It's great. Mom would've hated it… but it's great." Ben said, his eyes red. He'd been crying. Dean felt a lot guilty.

Jess saved the day for him. "Hiya, Benny! I'm Auntie Jess, it's nice 'ta meet'cha."

Her southern accent and his lack of one provided a big change. Dean hadn't noticed, but he'd slipped into one when he was talking to her. Ben didn't have one. Lisa and Ben were from Wisconsin and the city, and Dean had lost his.

Ben seemed to like the accent, because he beamed at her. "Nice to meet you too, Aunt Jess."

"No, definitely not." She looked slightly offended. "I'm not Aunt Jess. Auntie Jess. It's cuter. Call me Aunt and I'll withdraw your claims to any of my pie."

Ben smiled shyly, and gave her a tiny greeting hug. "Okay, Auntie Jess."

Now that was family, Dean thought. Ben would be okay if he had a family. This family. She might just be a woman, but she was a great woman, and she'd do anything for her family. It was the right atmosphere for him.

No, Jess wasn't like Lisa. Jess wouldn't replace Lisa. But she'd do a damn good job of helping Ben get on with life and helping him feel at home. Dean would owe her a really large, unpayable debt once this mess was over.

Sam wandered back to them, cleanly shaven and in freshly washed linen. He didn't hesitate to shake Ben's hand like Ben was a man. Dean looked at him, and wondered how he was taking all of this.

Ben wasn't his kid. But he'd be living in his house and eating his food and needing all the things a kid needed, and Sam would have to provide it all for him. Dean would be the freeloader with the kid. Sam made the money, Sam was the big man.

Dean felt humbled in all sorts of bad ways.

"Now, why are we all just standing around? There is dinner on the table and pie to be eaten. Jess does a damn fine pie." Sam said, and that was all there was to it. The whole group sat down, and ate.

* * *

Dean sat by Ben's bed, looking at the kid tucked under the thick covers. The bed'd never been slept in, but the covers were something that Dean had brought. Dean had none of his items, but he'd brought Ben's stuff in the trunk. Ben needed a piece of home to bring with him.

Dean was home.

"Tell me a story, Dean. Just tonight." Ben asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"Sure, kiddo." Dean answered, but inside he was worried. He didn't remember any stories. He had nothing to tell. Nothing cool. Nothing fun. He decided that if he wanted Ben to sleep, that he'd need the kid to get pretty bored by it anyway, and just to tell something. Dean started it with, "Once upon a time…"

Ben was asleep within seconds.

Dean walked down the stairs, and out to the porch. The sound of cicadas filled the air, and fireflies danced in the fields. The sound of the farm animals echoed into the twilight. It was calm and peaceful and alive, and he loved it.

"Ben asleep?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Dean answered, sitting himself down on the porch swing. "He knocked right out. Long car trip."

"This place'll do him good. It did me good, Dean." Sam promised, sitting down next to his brother. They shared a short look, which Dean smiled just a little. Wherever Sammy was, that was home.

"I wanted to take Lisa here right after we got married. She wanted to take a boat ride on the great lakes, and she won that argument. I think she'd have hated it, all the dirt and everything. She never did like a mess. But fresh air will be good. For Ben." Dean gave a little laugh as he thought back to that argument. It hadn't ended well. He'd have loved to go on a boat ride with Lisa, but she didn't even want to consider meeting Sam and Jess. And that was what he'd had a problem with.

"For you too, Dean. This place is special. You'll see, there's a ton of good here. It saved me." Sam admitted. He nervously wrung his hands, tapping his foot in his boot.

"You didn't handle that transition from Lawyer to farm boy well." He answered his brother.

"Yeah, one could say that." Sam laughed. "But it was worth it to have this place, and Jess is as beautiful as when I met her back in high school."

"It's not the city. But it's good. I'll come into town tomorrow and see if I can't check out the locals and the best diners. I'll try to get a job somewhere to help with the bills." Dean groaned. He didn't want to get a job. He didn't want to do anything of the sort, actually. But right now, he was all Ben had as a role model, and he had to shape up. If he let Lisa get to him… he'd be really miserable, he'd never move from his porch swing.

"School will start up soon. We'll have to enroll Ben. And you can work here on the farm, Dean. We're here for you, always will be."

Oh Sammy, dear sweet Sammy. Dean gave him a look. He was honest. He was always honest. Dean didn't know how he managed to be, sometimes.

"Is there a church around here somewhere?" Dean asked, even though he himself wasn't religious. Ben was a good Christian and he always went on Sundays. Dean didn't like going, but he'd go, just for Ben. Sam and Jess probably went, too.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, but it's really a silly deal. The locals say it's haunted. I say it's just a bag of cocks. Me 'n Jess go every Sunday even though the priest is a little odd in the head. Why, Ben's religious?"

Dean nodded. He looked around, wondering. He'd never been superstitious and he wouldn't start now. He'd go to the church with the weird pastor and deal with it.

"Dean… I'm sorry about Lisa. But this place is about starting over- fixing things. It'll be tough for a while, but you'll get over her. And things'll get easier. I promise."

Dean looked at Sam. Tall, moosey Sam, who was wearing flannel now and running a farm. Sam, who'd been his best friend and the closest brother to him, who Dean couldn't imagine living without under any circumstances. Sam, who Dean had moved away from when Dean couldn't deal with the pain of living with their godfather because he'd lost his mom and his dad. When the war had finally ended and their father had never gone home, and Dean was left with his 9 year old brother and no way to pay the bills by himself and a godfather he'd never met.

Dean didn't ever want to have to leave his brother ever again. Even if the first time had been his fault. His mistake.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Dean managed.

"You never did anything wrong, Dean." Sam answered, giving a playful shove.

Dean wasn't going to leave this town as long as Sam was here. And that was final, final, final. Ben already seemed to like it, Sam loved it, Jess thought it was great. Nothing would make Dean leave as long as it was home.

* * *

"Ben Braeden, right? They warned us that someone like you might come along. Welcome to South Central Elementary School." And the secretary handed him a list of his classes.

Ben liked the school. He liked the new backpack with the astronauts on it and the big smiley face sticker on his hand for being such a good sport. Ben really did like these things. Dean said that school here would be easier than back home in Wisconsin, and that kids would be different. Ben had been pushed around back home, and he didn't see how so many nice kids here would turn on him. So Ben liked the school.

But even with all the nice kids, he was alone. How could he not be? Ben was new, and everyone else here had been best friends since kindergarten. They'd grown up together, they knew each other, and Ben knew that he wouldn't just fit right in a community like that. He'd barely fit in correctly in Wisconsin.

He had no friends. Ben sat alone at lunch, that day. The first day, and while there had been nice people, Ben wasn't okay with ignoring the giant gap between him and them. Ben wouldn't make friends here, not that easily.

A girl, with long blonde hair and a stuck up little nose, approached him after the bell let the students out from their last class. Ben just wanted to walk home, he didn't want to deal with this girl. He let her walk beside him for about two paces before he confronted her.

"Who are you?" Ben demanded.

"My name's Lilith! And let's get things straight; I own this school. I'm the top of the pyramid, and you, new kid, are at the bottom." She flashed him a model's smile. Ben didn't like it. She seemed too sweet for him, sweet in a creepy way that has you looking around for an escape.

"My name is Ben." He said, after a lack of words. Lilith just gave him a cheesy smile that should only belong on people like Marilyn Monroe. Pouty, Ben thought.

"Well, let me tell you, you can call me a friend. I know all about Sam Winchester. That is who you're living with, ain't it?" Lilith probably didn't think she was being creepy. Ben thought Lilith should just go back underneath the bed or back into the closet from whence she came.

"I'm staying with my Uncle."

"Your last name is Braeden. You're no Winchester. You're just living with them." Lilith stated, stepping just a little closer to him.

"Lilith, I need to get home. Can't you please leave me alone?" Ben asked, none too politely. This seemed just to fuel the girl's curiosity and she continued to harass him.

"Well, if you live with the Winchesters, then you'll know about the evil woods out back behind their farm too." Lilith mentioned, close enough to touch Ben's shoulder with her own. Ben wanted to pull on her annoying blonde pigtails. Just to make her go away.

"It's just a forest." Ben started to try and walk away. He didn't need any of his crap from her, she didn't even seem okay. Lilith was just too creepy. No, Ben didn't like her in any way, shape, or form.

Lilith stalked after him as he walked. "There are rumors that there's a beast out in the woods, with great big wings like an falcon's, that eats human flesh and likes to kill humans for fun. The rumor is that Sam Winchester feeds it out in the woods, waiting to unleash it on his enemies."

Ben groaned. That was incredibly childish. Monsters didn't exist, not ones like that and Lilith was making up creepy stuff. He didn't believe her for an instance. Sam was nice, he didn't have enemies.

"I don't believe in fairytales anymore, Lilith. I just want to go home."

"You don't have to not believe me. You just have to go into the woods on your own, and you'll see the beast. It's quite scary. I knew someone who had once seen it, but she went crazy. You should go check it out."

Ben was getting irritated. "No, Lilith. I'm going home. Leave me alone."

* * *

"Benny! Are ya ready to go? Service starts in half an hour!" Jess called from the bathroom. Ben stared at her, wearing a bouncy blue dress that showed off her large perky chest and her curvy figure. She was so young, Ben thought, not like his mom. Mom had been older, with a flatter chest and long slender legs. Her hair hadn't been the color of a lemon-square like Jess's.

Ben wanted his mom back.

"I'm ready, Auntie Jess." Ben choked out, looking down at his feet. He was wearing the same shoes that his mom had bought him the week before she died. The same shoes that Ben didn't want to ever see again. Because he'd trade them and everything he owned of her just to have his mom back.

Jess practically skipped out of the bathroom and over to Ben. She held out her stick thin little arms, and Ben gave her the hug she wanted. Ben liked Jess. She was nice to him. But she wasn't his mom and she wasn't good enough. She couldn't replace his mom. She wouldn't ever replace his mom.

"Don't ya look handsome?" She cooed, smoothing out the creases in his pinstripe dress shirt like Mom had used to do. Ben almost wanted to slap her hands away, or close his eyes and pretend it wasn't Jess at all doing the familiar action.

"You look pretty too, Auntie Jess." If Ben said Auntie Jess enough, then he'd cement her as Auntie Jess. Not Jess. Not some sort of pseudo-mom. So Ben wouldn't miss a moment not to call her Auntie Jess.

"Hey! Time's a wasting, let's go already." Dean- not Dad, Dean- called from the living room. Jess ushered him out and into the open hallway, both of them ready to leave.

Sam and Dean were leaning against walls and watching the two of them climb down the stairs and join them. Ben gave Sam a big smile, and Dean a slightly shy one. Dean knew how he looked when he got all pruned and puffed up for some event, but Sam seemed pretty impressed by how he cleaned up. Ben wanted Sam to like him. Sam was tall, and scary.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Sam said, his arm going around Jess's shoulders like a second instinct.

They walked to the church in their Sunday clothes, with Jess almost falling from her heels once. The church, which Ben automatically didn't like, looked as if it had been built when the pilgrims came over. A building that old and decrypted should not still be standing, in Ben's opinion.

The stained glass windows had scenes of angels and Jesus, and the wide oak double doors hid the interior from sight. Ben just felt like there was something off. And it wasn't just the homeless man sitting outside with a hat playing an accordion. Though that didn't help his bad feeling.

"Ben, it's still a church, and the only one in town. Don't worry too much about the little things." Dean reassured him, when Ben hesitated before walking inside. Ben felt like he had every right to worry, when the altar inside was covered with peace signs and flower power designs. Dean actually seemed taken aback with that.

"Wait, so the priest's a hippie?" Dean hissed in his brother's ear, quiet enough that Ben almost couldn't hear it.

"Drugs, peace, tie dye? Yeah, he's just about as hippie as it gets. Don't freak, Chuck is really good." Sam said, completely used to the odd smell inside of the church and the bead curtains that adorned the one side of the wall instead of a regular confession booth.

Oddly enough, the priest himself looked normal. A scraggly beard and nervous eyes, but otherwise Ben didn't see any of the tie dye priest robes and hippie sunglasses he expected.

"Welcome friends! This morning, beautiful as it is, is a day where's God's holy message shall be passed down to all of you." Chuck announced from the pulpit, playing with a bible and flipping the pages eccentrically.

The church was deadly silent, except for what sounded like a whispered 'Amen' from the back pews. Ben took a look behind him, since they were seated somewhere in the middle, trying to find who had spoken. They were the only family in church besides the homeless man who had moved to listen up in the front row.

There was no one else who could've spoken. Ben shook his head, feeling rather disoriented. He must've imagined it.

"Today, I'll talk about the message of God. He is all knowing and all loving, faith is the key to your salvation. Faith and love for all of His creations…" Chuck droned on.

Service on Sunday had never seemed so odd before in Ben's short life of ten years.

* * *

Ben didn't play with the other kids. Ben didn't want to play with creepy Lilly or equally scary Jesse. Ben left them well alone. He played with himself.

He'd never had occasion before, to play a game like he is about to now. Ben was a very realistic child. He never played pretend. But as he was climbing around the apple trees, just for fun, Ben started the game.

"I'm a knight, a protector! I must leave these fair grounds and save the princess from the evil dragon, locked in the woods!" Ben exclaimed. An apple tree branch became a mighty sword, and the wood became… an adventure. Ben didn't hesitate to dive in.

The underbrush crackled underneath his feet, as he was fully into the adventure. Things were moving in the wood, ready to take him down before he reached his princess and slew the dragon. Waving his sword, he scared most of them off.

But he could still feel pairs of beady eyes on his back as he ran around, searching. As long as he wasn't attacked, Ben could fight off anything that came his way. He was the master of stealth.

He laughed. What, he wasn't scared! Ben was powerful here, his mom never died here, he was safe and protected! In fact, he was so strong he could go save other people. Ben ran and dashed through the underbrush, finally feeling the weight on his shoulders, the pressure, lift.

He was approaching a mighty tower, which the princess was locked inside. Ben grabbed a hold of the crevices in the rock, and he tried to climb. He pulled himself far enough up that he grabbed onto a flagpole sticking out of the tower, and he swung up onto it. The princess awaited him.

But the eyes were back. Birds, in a great flock, scattered from the woods as a loud rustling was heard from the ground. It was the dragon, Ben told himself. He could handle that dragon for sure, and save the princess!

He climbed farther up, and held his hand out to the princess. But instead, he found a queen. She was beautiful, she looked exactly like his mom, and Ben gracefully helped her out of the tree.

Queen Lisa gave him a brilliant smile, and he realized, as he tried to hug her, that his hands were clasping at nothing.

Sniffling, Ben dropped the game. He was all alone out here, and his mom wasn't coming back. He couldn't save her, he didn't save her. And now he was in the middle of nowhere, alone.

The castle was just a tree, there was no dragon, and faux Mom was just in his imagination. Ben considered how dumb it all was, sitting out here in the middle of nowhere in the woods. He'd never played pretend before, because he never could convince himself it was real.

But today, he had. For the briefest moment in time, he'd seen Queen Lisa and the dragon and the castle. And even though none of it existed, it'd felt good to be someone else.

Ben poked his way out of the forest, thinking that he'd definitely come back. The woods were special. He could feel it. And he knew that if he came back, he could escape real life again.

He'd have to come back again soon.

* * *

Dean stretched his arms out wide, feeling the tense muscles burn from their soreness. He'd spent the whole day repairing the tractor for Sam, but as Sam shamefully admitted, there were another five cars out back that were broken down from farm work. He huffed. Once he attempted to fix those up, he'd have to join Sam with caring for the land and the animals.

Now, Dean knew that Bobby had been around and helping out Sam last summer, and that man didn't go anywhere without a good bottle of moonshine. And knowing Sam, he'd have confiscated it, so Bobby would've hidden it somewhere. If Dean was lucky, he could spend the rest of the afternoon while Sam and Jess were in town shooting at tin cans and drinking some.

When had he gotten so pathetic? Honestly, who did that sort of thing anymore? If he went back to Wisconsin, they'd laugh at him for even considering it.

Dean really wanted to do it, though.

Eventually Dean settled for wandering over to his car and driving out into the town. The rode beneath his wheels was comforting somehow, and Dean let the air blast through his windows.

Clearwater was a small town, and Dean had already pulled up into the church's parking lot before he realized where he was. It was one of the only familiar sights there, and he had felt somehow better after he went. Dean locked his car, before heading towards the main entrance.

The church hadn't been like other churches, it had an unnerving feeling to him and Dean had enjoyed not listening to the same old boring lectures and the worthless preachers. He snuck inside, but he didn't have to worry, he was alone in the church.

Not even the priest, or the Reverend, or whatever was there. The place was entirely empty. Dean let out a sigh of relief. He wanted to be alone.

Although, he might as well pray to God for forgiveness. Slipping behind the bead curtain that separated the confession stand from the church, Dean sat down on the pillow provided. At least this way, he was anonymous. If the priest came in, all he'd see was some guy in the confession stand. Not Dean Winchester.

"Hey God, it's me… Dean Winchester." He said, softly. He was nervous, as if there was someone watching, but the fear was for nothing. No one had entered the church, after all. "I'm just here to talk. I may have… I may have sinned, a great sin."

Now Dean felt really unnerved. He knew something was listening, he could feel eyes on him, and he was completely alone. He calmed his breathing, trying to hear if someone else had snuck inside as well. With only silence as a response, Dean shook his head.

This must just be God listening in, or something, because he was in an empty church. The doors never opened, and no one else could have entered. How could anyone but God be listening?

"I think… I think I killed my wife." Dean said, and hearing no response, he continued. "I never was stable after I left Lawrence, and I had no other way of making money but pool hustling and gambling. I got good at it, too. But I may have gambled and hustled some wrong men, because one of the things left at the crime scene was a cigar, just like the one I bet in a pool hustle a year back. It was unique, with a lipstick stain, and smelled like a campfire. It was the same cigar, I knew it, that I had bet in that trade."

The silence was deafening.

"I brought my shit back home to Lisa and Ben, and it killed Lisa and left Ben without a mother." Dean choked.

"Guilt is not yours to claim." A whisper echoed throughout the church. If it could even be called a whisper, it was so muffled that Dean wasn't even sure he really heard it. He jumped up, hand spreading the bead curtain and staring out into the pews. There was no one there to have made the sound.

Dean was out of that church faster than one could say, "Terrified."

* * *

Sam was laughing so loudly that Dean swore he would wake up Ben. His younger brother was hunched over, guffawing loudly and obnoxiously.

"You are seriously trying to pull a 'The Church is haunted!' on me? I was the one who told ya it was bullshit!" Sam finally had reduced himself to only chuckling.

Dean frowned. "Sammy, believe me. I know what I heard. I ran away I was so freaked. Don't tell me it was only my imagination."

His younger brother shrugged. He glared back a little, annoyed with Sam's utter disbelief.

"I'm no liar." The older and wiser brother stated.

"I never said ya were, I just said that I don't believe a word of it. You're no liar, but ya aren't no joker too."

"It's not a joke, Sammy. I really heard something talk to me in the church, and there was no one there. I looked all over for someone beforehand, I was alone." Dean uncrossed his arms, staring his brother down. Sam returned the look, his eyes telling a completely different story than his mouth.

Oh yes, Sammy knew that Dean wasn't lying. Sam just didn't want to admit it.

"Dean, just stop being silly. It's a church, it's consecrated ground. There's no ghosts there, nothing." Sam stated, looking out towards the woods with an alien expression. Dean almost didn't want to know the truth, but he had to find out. There was only so much he could do.

He didn't like being lied to, especially. And therefore Dean had to ask, had to go back and find out what was going on there. This town, Coldwater, Kansas, was not normal, and normal was safe.

"Sam, just tell me this…" Dean settled on, "Is it safe to keep Ben here? I may not have a job but if this town is queer then I'll leave it."

Sam started, but his shoulders dropped as if he had lost a mental argument. Dean eyed him, waiting for an answer. Sam would answer him, if only for Ben's sake.

"This town is safe, I promise." Sam said, his tone dark but reassuring. "But it is queer. We have a fair share of abnormalities."

"If things start to go downhill, I'm taking Ben right out of here." Dean threatened, still wary of his brother and his brother's lies. Sam was a good man, but he didn't warn them before hand of the weirdness and that made Dean scared.

Sam hadn't been quite right since they came, just a little off. Barely noticeable but Dean had raised Sammy and he knew. It was showing the more time he spent with Sam. Sam was absentminded and off in his own world, and he often looked out into the woods with longing.

Dean didn't know what to make of it. Except that Sammy knew about this odd place and would not give up its secrets.

* * *

**Okay, some explanations from the author here.**

**First off, sorry for the horrible accents. I'm basing them off of the accents I heard in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which tells you how accurate they are. Obviously, my accents in here are perfect and totally not annoying. And yes, Ben is a main character in here. Dean and Ben are the two characters from which I will write their POV, because they are outsiders. This town is a real town, so please don't get offended if you live here. I don't mean any offense, and if you have anything to improve or fix or help me with, I'd love a comment/review.**

**In fact, I'll worship you and respond to you and perhaps stalk you and read all of your stories that I'd be interested in. Perhaps. Anyway, see that button? CLICK IT. CLICK IT IF YOU WANT ANOTHER CHAPTER BEFORE AUGUST. *I'll update anyways, but if no one is reading it, then it's sort of my last priority***


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